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Newsday (New York)

The state federation boys and girls high school basketball tournament will move closer to Long Island starting in 2020. Fordham University in the Bronx will host the annual tournament for at least three seasons, beginning in March 2020, the New York State Federation of Secondary School Athletic Associations announced Monday.

The boys tournament has been held in Glens Falls for the majority of its existence, including a consecutive run from 1981-2010. It was held in Albany from 2011 -2016 and returned to Glens Falls in 2017. After being held at a variety of sites, the girls tournament moved to Glens Falls in 1995 and, with the exception of the six-year stint in Albany, remained there ever since. The tournament will be held in Glens Falls in March, before moving to Fordham next season, a news release said.

Fordham beat out bids from Glens Falls and St. John's University. Votes are cast by members of New York City's Public School Athletic League, the New York State Public High School Athletic Association, Catholic School Athletic Association, and the New York State Alliance of Independent Schools, the release said.

"After a good discussion following each presentation, the vote taken by the Executive Committee supports a new direction for the Federation Tournament," Federation president Donal Buckley said in the release. "All three organizations presented solid bids and were ready to host a quality event for us. However, Fordham's historic gym and location in the city convinced the committee."

The move represents an opportunity to increase tournament attendance, given that 70 percent of the participating teams come from downstate. Eleven girls teams and 12 boys teams compete in the tournament each year, the release said.

Long Island has had incredible success in recent years, with Long Island Lutheran winning multiple championships and the Baldwin girls winning last season.

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